1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephasa and then to the Twelve. 6After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth.
Thus Paul starts off his chapter on resurrection. A wonderful chapter worth reading. But it all hinges on the Gospel.
Unfortunately not everyone knows what it is, but here Paul puts it in a nutshell. In another place, 1 Cor 2:2, he talks about Christ and Him crucified! Here, in 1 Cor 15, he fills it out a little more. ”Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, “. According to the scriptures, He was to die for our sins, be buried, and then rise again.
This is the story of love. God is love. Even though we are sinful creatures, living in a sinful world, God did not desire the death of a sinner. 2 Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,a not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. So He sent His Son, the Word, the unblemished perfect Lamb of God to die, to shed His blood, so that we could be atoned for, be redeemed, be saved. Jesus was the instrument of God’s grace, His unmerited favour, and by His death, His righteousness was imputed to us, wretched sinners that we are. Now we are forgiven sinners, and stand before God clothed in Christ’s righteousness, not our own dismally unrighteous attempts at goodness.
God sees Christ’s righteousness and we are declared His adopted sons and daughters! How wonderful is that? We will spend eternity with Him. In fact eternity starts now, because we who are Christ’s have passed from death to life. John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Back to 1 Cor 15: 20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
Christ rose from the dead. He defeated death. Still in 1 Cor 15: 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”g
55“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Jesus lived in the glories of heaven. This was His birthright. He gave it all up to become a helpless babe and lived among us, and living the life of a normal human. He began His public ministry and taught His disciples that they, even though they were to lead others to Him, were to be each other’s servant, and to bear each other’s burdens. This He did Himself. He healed the sick and cared for those who needed help. He taught us about God, that God is love, and that we are to love, because we have been loved. We are to forgive each other our trespasses, just as we are forgiven.
Then He did the ultimate. He died the death that we deserved, to save us. He was the sacrificial Passover lamb, and exemplified sacrificial love to us. Then, after sabbath in the tomb, He rose triumphant, in His glorified body, and showed Himself to the women, and then to His disciples.
This then, is the Gospel, the good news, of salvation, of love from God come down to earth. No greater love hath any man.
Without the Gospel, we would be doomed.
Light of Christ 